My singer from the depths
by SakuraWonka
Summary: On his first holiday for 15 years, Willy finds an unusual new friend.... I do not own Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Song lyrics from Disney's The Little Mermaid


My singer from the depths

_Well, maybe going on holiday wasn't such a bad idea after all_, Willy thought. He was on his way to the beach. Two Oompa Loompas were following him, one carrying the chocolatier's stuff, the other protecting him from the sun with a huge red umbrella. The Buckets were still back at the villa, exploring it. When Mrs. Bucket had suggested a family vacation in the Caribbean, she hadn't expected an entire private island! Willy loved his "Isle of Chocolate", as he had named it, even though he didn't visit it often. In fact, he hadn't been on holiday for almost fifteen years. After the Oompa Loompas had gotten his things ready and left, Willy quickly undressed and went into the crystal-clear, blue water. It felt nice and refreshing after the heat. He swam for a while, carefully trying to not get his hair wet. Finally he gave in and turned himself on his back. He closed his eyes and listened to the steady rushing of the waves. It was a comforting sound. Suddenly he could hear something else too. He could hear a woman singing. It sounded as though it was coming from far away. Mrs. Bucket? No, surely not; she did have a nice voice, but nothing compared to this. It was the most beautiful voice Willy ever had heard. After a while he could make out the lyrics of the song.

_Under the sea, under the sea;_

_It's so much better, down where its wetter, take it from me!_

_Under the sea, under the sea;_

_It's just the place you wanna be!_

The invisible singer kept repeating the song and the voice was getting louder. Then Willy noticed a shadow underneath of him. For a moment he panicked, thinking it was a shark, but it was too small to be one. The shadow circled him and then rose up to the surface. Willy gasped: floating in the water right in front of him was a mermaid!

After he'd got over the first shock, he examined her. She was very beautiful; her skin was very pale and her wavy hair was like pure gold. Her eyes were a bright turquoise colour, framed by dark lashes. Her fishtail was very long and shocking pink, as was her shell bikini and her pearl earrings. "What are you?" she asked curiously. "I just wanted to ask you the same question," Willy answered. She laughed. "My name is Sunny and I'm a mermaid," said the mermaid. "My name's Willy and I am a human," said Willy. Sunny's eyes widened. "A human? Really? I've never seen one before! Wow, this is _sooo _exiting," she squealed. "You can say that again," Willy murmured. She giggled and took his hand. Being absolutely scared of human contact (in this case mermaid contact), he tensed up immediately. She didn't seem to notice. "Come on, I'll show you around," Sunny said enthusiastically. Willy stopped her before she pulled him under water. "Hang on! Humans can't breathe under water!" he protested. "They can if they're with a mermaid," Sunny replied, "Come on, trust me. I'll take you straight back up if you're scared." She gave him an irresistible smile.

_Don't trust her_, a voice inside Willy's head screamed; _think of all the stories in which men who trusted sirens died!_ _That might be your fate if you go with her! _The part of his brain that was completely infatuated with the mermaid piped up. _So what? It would be worth it.  
_"Okay, I trust you," Willy said and grabbed her hand more firmly. She laughed and pulled him under the surface. For one moment, Willy couldn't see anything; the salt water was burning in his eyes, his ears, his lungs; he thought he was going to die. Then it suddenly stopped. "Are you alright?" Sunny asked. Willy simply nodded, being much to busy with taking in the amazing view. They were swimming through a coral reef. There were colourful fish of different types and sizes, oysters with huge pearls inside them, dangerous- looking octopuses waving their long tentacles at them and many other exiting things. "You'll be able to breathe under water as long as you stay close to me," Sunny said and let go of his hand. Willy felt a sudden pang as he no longer felt her soft skin on his. He tried to ignore it and concentrated on the sensation of being able to inhale water. The mermaid started to sing once more; this time her song was a melody without words, more melancholic than her first one. It told of a broken heart and loneliness and reminded Willy of his own solitude. Sure, he had the Buckets, but sometimes he missed something that was more than just friendship. He'd stayed single, always remembering a chocolatier had to run free and solo; yet he missed the warm and tingly feeling of being in love. _I'm gonna die a virgin_, he thought miserably. _I mean, I've never even been kissed be- _His thoughts were interrupted by Sunny, who'd appeared right in front of him and was kissing him passionately. Willy was completely mortified at first, but his anxiousness soon gave way to other feelings. He gently wrapped his arms around her waist while her hands were ruffling his hair. After a few blissful moments they broke apart, both gasping for air (I mean water ;-) ). "Wow...what was that for?" Willy asked, still panting. "You looked so sad for a moment...I thought that might cheer you up," Sunny replied with a nervous little giggle. "Well it certainly did...although I think I'm still a little miserable," he said with an impish grin. Sunny gave him a small peck on the nose and a playful pat with her huge tailfin. "So how do you like my home?" she asked him. "It's totally amazing. I wish I could show you my home; I bet you'd like it," he answered. Her smile faltered. "I'm afraid that's not possible. A mermaid can never step on land...it's impossible." Sunny sighed and seemed thoughtful for a while. Then she smiled again and took both of Willy's hands. "But who knows. Maybe we'll see each other again someday," she said and leaned forward to kiss him once more.

Willy opened his eyes and realized he was lying in his bed in the villa. Had it all been a dream? He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Well if it had been, it most certainly had been the best dream of his life. Suddenly the door opened and Mrs. Bucket came in, causing him to pull the duvet up to his chin. "Willy, thank goodness you're finally awake! We've been anxious about you all day, even though the Oompa Loompa doctor said you'll be fine," she exclaimed. "What happened?" Willy asked. "You were away all day and the Oompa Loompas couldn't find you anywhere on the island," Mrs. Bucket told him, "It was Charlie who finally found you lying on the beach. We brought you here and got you into bed and the doctor examined you. He told us we just had to wait until you woke up and that you'd probably not be able to remember what happened." She shook her head worriedly. "You almost scared us to death. I'll go tell the others you're okay, "she said and went towards the door. "Oh and by the way, you were holding that when Charlie found you," she added and handed him a big pink shell. _Aren't those the ones you're supposed to hear the sea in?_ Willy thought and held it to his ear. He almost jumped out of bed when he heard the singing coming out of the seashell. It was Sunny's voice!

_One day we'll walk, one day we'll run_

_One day we'll stay all day in the sun_

_Just you and me_

_And I will be_

_Part of your world!_

Willy put down the shell, smiling. He got up and looked out of the window. The sun had just set and the sea was turned orange. Somewhere out there, a mermaid was swimming through the ocean. _My mermaid_, Willy thought. _And someday I'll meet you again, my beautiful singer from the depths._


End file.
